SEYMOUR – The owner of a downtown property that was destroyed by a fire last year wants to redevelop the site with a three-story, mixed-used development of residential and retail.
Lon Syla, owner of the property at 141 – 143 Main St. for 15 years, unveiled his proposal during a public hearing held by the Seymour Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 10.
He’s scheduled to appear again to review his plans with the commission on Oct. 12.
An image from the April 2022 fire. A redevelopment plan calls for apartments and retail.
Architect Joe Mingolello, of Mingolello & Hayes Architects of Shelton, unveiled a proposal that calls for the construction of a 5,000-square foot, three-story building on the site that previously housed four businesses that were gutted in the April 2022 fire.
Once the charred property was cleaned up, it was reduced to a large hole, surrounded by a fence, where four businesses – The Artful Eye antique shop, Ro & Bette’s Attic, Seymour Spa and Fade Away barber shop – once stood. Three of the businesses have since relocated to other areas of town.
Under the proposal, Mingolello said the building’s first floor would house two spaces for retail along with two, one-bedroom apartments. The second and third floors would house an additional 12, one-bedroom apartments and one studio apartment.
Syla did not have rent info.
The one-bedroom units would range in size from 628 – 660 square-feet, with the studio apartment at 460-square feet. The building’s exterior would be brick to match the existing businesses downtown.
Mingolello said he and Syla kicked around different uses for the property, including possible office space, but said a mixed-used development of housing and retail space is the best fit in the current market.
Parking could be a hurdle for the project.
Mingolello said the town zoning regulations require 30 parking spaces for what’s being proposed. The project doesn’t have any spots on site, but the applicant hopes the available parking downtown satisfies the requirement.
Mingolello also said the tenants may not need vehicles due to the fact a bus stop and the Seymour train station are next to the property.
“The building uses 100 percent of the land, so we have no parking,” Syla said. “We would like to use public parking, which we believe the Town of Seymour has plenty of.”
Mingolello said with the existing public parking lots downtown, including the Strand Theater lot, and the lot next to the train station, he doesn’t foresee a problem with future tenants finding somewhere to park. He said he and Syla conducted informal surveys at different times of the week, and at different times of day, of the various parking spaces and found there would be sufficient parking for tenants.
A Google map showing the location in downtown Seymour.
Syla said aside from Saturdays when downtown tends to be busier, “70 percent of the time, downtown is dead.” He said his proposal can help spark new life in the area.
However, Seymour Town Planner Keith Rosenfeld, along with a few of the downtown business owners, said parking is already tough downtown.
“We have a parking problem downtown in the commercial business district,” Rosenfeld said, telling the owner he would need to seek an amendment to change the current parking rules.
Mingolello suggested the commission consider an amendment that would not require two spaces for every unit, but rather one space per studio apartment and 1.5 spaces per one-bedroom apartments.
Downtown business owner Lynn Giardini, who owns Hair by Lynn at 139 Main St., said there’s not enough parking for her clients, let alone for an additional 15 apartments and two new retail spaces.
“I welcome any new retail, but 30 spaces down there is not going to work,” she said.
Stephanie Young, who works at Hair by Lynn, agreed.
“All day long we see other business owners parking in front of their businesses in the spaces where clients need to park,” Young said. “It’s like a free for all.”
Syla told The Valley Indy following the hearing that he’s hopeful the commission sees the need for a project like this. He also thanked First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis for working with him after the devastating fire.
The town received a nearly $700,000 grant last year from the state to buy Syla’s property, but he’s not interested in selling.
The fact that Syla isn’t willing to sell complicates Seymour’s grant.
Connecticut Office of Policy and Management spokesman Chris Collibee told The Valley Indy last year the state money was for the acquisition and preparation of the site.
The grant’s guidelines state that“only minor changes germane to the original scope from the approved application shall be approved by the administering agency.”
Seymour government may have to regroup and meet with OPM officials about how they now intend to use the money.
Drugonis told the Valley Indy the town also hopes to use the money for new sidewalks, curbing and lighting on the property.
